


The Ghost of You

by SparkGoddess



Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013), Hannibal (TV), Spacedogs - Fandom
Genre: Adam Raki - Freeform, Alternate Universe, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings, Ghosts, Loss, Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Nigel - Freeform, Past Mentions of Gabi/Nigel, Sadness, Spacedogs, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, ghost au, happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7779094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkGoddess/pseuds/SparkGoddess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam grew up with a gift he didn’t want. After years of ignoring it, someone finally broke thru and brought something unexpected into his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ghost of You

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me after catching Ghost on TV and wondering how this would be with Spacedogs.
> 
> Betaed by nightliferogue
> 
> Enjoy!

Adam was five when he first heard the voices, little children laughing, as he spun around his backyard. His parents said they were imaginary friends.

He thought that’s what it was for a long time until he heard his grandfather in the living room. He rubbed his eye as he walked down the hallway, trying not to hear. That’s when he realized that even though he couldn’t see them there were spirits talking to him. He cried himself to sleep that night.

His parents took him to see many different psychiatrists to try and make him better. They prescribed this or that to make the voices go away but nothing helped him.

To stop the visits he lied to his parents telling them it was all okay, that he had imagined everything. He left for school that summer and never went back.

The voices had faded out after a while, quiet enough that he’d just ignored them to the point that they couldn’t reach his ears anymore.

Adam moved into the city after college, finding an apartment that was near the park and quiet for him to unwind after having to deal with people at his workplace.

He lugged his few boxes up the stairs, opening the door into the empty space before closing and leaning against it.

His space.

He finally had a space to be alone.

No one bothering him as he read or the noises of the city to disturb him.

As he methodically unpacked his boxes, he noticed something glittering from the corner of his eye. He ignored it, finishing up a few boxes until his curiosity got the best of him and he walked towards the mysterious item.

“Who left you behind?,” Adam asked the empty room as he picked up the ring. His fingertips tingled and he turned to look to his right when he thought he heard a sigh.

“My beloved.”  The voice made Adam tense, the ring falling to the floor with a clatter before he cursed under his breath.

“Can you hear me?,” The voice asked and Adam walked back into the kitchen, ignoring it in hopes that it would go away.

*

"You can hear me. I see you trying to ignore me, little man," The voice teased as Adam put canned food into the pantry. His fingers stretched tight against the vessel as he tried to ignore her.

"If you talk to me, I can stop bugging you," She said and Adam sighed, turning to look at the spot where they voice was coming from.

"What did you want to talk about?" Adam asked, hearing a sigh before the voice spoke again.

"The ring, it belongs to my boyfriend. Well I suppose he’s my ex now since I’m dead and all, " she rambled a bit, "My name is Gabi. I need you to help me find him."

Adam shook his head,  "No. I'm sorry you're lost but I can't help you."

He turned to put more things away when he heard Gabi cursing in a language that he didn't recognize.

"Little mouse, you have a gift and you will help me or I'll never stop bothering you. I have an eternity. Do you?"

"You wouldn't do that,” Adam mumbled, trying to calm his panic, “Ghosts have far better things to do that bother me.”

He would soon regret saying those words.

*

Days later he held a pillow to cover his ears as Gabi went on and on about random subjects including her home in Bucharest, switching in between English and what he assumed was Romanian.

She had learned the types of things that annoyed him, following him to work even to babble in his ear constantly while he attempted to ignore.

Adam woke up every morning to Gabi singing loudly in his ear, his head pounding as he contemplated causing himself harm before he finally surrendered.

"Tell me why you need to find him. Why is this so important?"

 He rubbed his temples as silence filled the room for a few minutes before he heard sobs.

"He's going to drink himself to death from guilt! He doesn't deserve it!” she seemed to be having trouble speaking, sniffling as her voice shook, “Nigel, his name is Nigel. He was a bad man once, not completely but enough to make enemies. I ended up getting caught in the middle. It wasn't his fault,” she whispered, “It wasn’t."

Adam sighed, “How was it not his fault? He put you in danger"

"He didn't! I was trying to stop him from getting himself killed but ended up dying to save him."

Adam was quiet as he listened to her crying again.

"Is he still a bad man?" Adam asked, feeling for Gabi but worried at the same time. He'd never reunited the departed with their loved ones and this man sounded dangerous.

Gabi let out a soft chuckle, "No, he's a good man now, my death changed him. He left Bucharest and came here to start a new life.  He works as a bartender.”

“I…”

“Please!,” she sobbed, voice so close to his ear that he visibly flinched, “There's so much pain inside his heart. I need him to forgive himself.” 

Adam felt his eyes water as be thought of this man suffering every day over his beloved.

"Okay. Tell me where to find him," he asked, feeling what felt like a hand on his.

“Get paper and I will tell you everything you need,” she sounded so happy that Adam smiled.

“Ok.”

*

Finding Nigel was easy enough but getting the courage to engage him was a completely different thing.

Gabi had gone on about how Nigel was one of the most beautiful men she'd ever seen and Adam couldn't help but agree when he finally laid eyes on him.

"Are you finally going to go in there or just ogle him again?" Gaby chided.

Adam's cheeks flushed. "I'm thinking,” he stared at Nigel, seeing him smile at someone as he handed over a drink, “ You have no idea how crazy this will all sound. What if he hits me?"

“Just repeat everything I say,” Gabi soothed, “It’ll be okay.”

Adam stuffed his hands in the hoodie as he watched Nigel interact with another customer, taking a deep breath as he walked towards the entrance. He waited for the last customer to leave before he went to the bar.

“What can I do for you?” Nigel asked, smiling.

Adam swallowed, trying to calm himself before he spoke.

"I need to speak to you about someone," his voice low as he watched Nigel's eyebrow raise.

"And who the fuck would that be?"

The anger is the bartender’s voice made Adam tremble but he answered anyway. "Gabi."

Nigel tried to reach over as soon as he spoke the name, grabbing for his neck and pulling off Adam’s hoodie in the process.

"I know you won't believe me but she's here. She wanted me to find you."

Adam spoke quickly as he watched Nigel rush towards the end of the bar, pulling up the table and coming towards him. 

"You don't fucking know what you're talking about! Don't fucking say her name, you little shit!"

Adam put up his hands, “She’s here!,” he could feel eyes on them and tried not to panic, almost feeling like Gabi’s hand was on his again, “She's here. She told me about that wiener dog shirt that she bought as a joke that you always wore, and when you taught her how to shoot on that rooftop."

Adam kept talking as he stepped back, ending up against a wall finding himself trapped as Nigel glared.

"Dragii mei , eu sunt aici," (Beloved, I'm here) Adam spoke as best he could as Nigel froze, his first curled tight.

His eyes were wide and his shock was obvious, the break in his voice more painful than it should be for Adam to hear.  "You can't know any of this."

 Adam wanted to reach out to soothe him.

“I’m sorry,” Adam pulled his hands from his pocket, pressing his hand against the nearest table before leaving.

"Go back,” Gabi growled, “You can't leave him like that!”

Adam ignored her, continuing back the way he’d come.

“He needs me," she whispered, her voice just as shaken as Nigel’s had been.

Adam shook his head, ignoring the strange looks he felt as people heard him talking to himself.

“I can't,” he whispered, tears in his eyes, “He's in pain. He needs to live his life."

He heard nothing in reply, knowing she had every right to be angry.

Gabi didn't speak to him for the rest of the night, the silence hurting more than anything he remembered feeling.

*

Gabi’s silent treatment continued for the next two weeks. He tried to forget about Nigel’s face and  the heartbreak he'd caused when he brought back Gabi into his life.

Adam didn't want to hurt anyone, especially when they'd started their life over to try and be a better person.

He sighed, looking down as he thought about Gabi at his apartment, alone while he worked at the museum store. The ring lay on his dresser still and he wondered if she was staring at it, feeling awful and worrying.

Just thinking about the silver band reminded him of Nigel again. He didn't understand why he was feeling these things for a person he didn't know but he cared about him.

"Can you help me with something?" A familiar voice asked as Adam fixed one of the scientific displays, making him look up in surprise.

"Nigel?"

 "Sorry to show up like this but you didn't really leave me a choice,” he held out Adam’s hoodie, “I’m sorry about the bar, I…I have questions."

Adam nodded.

 "My shift ends in ten minutes. Would you wait outside by the oak tree?"

“Yes, I’ll see you there,” Nigel smiled slightly at him before exiting the building.

Adam grabbed his kit, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. He could do this.

*

Ten minutes passed by incredibly slow for Nigel. He'd leaned back against the tree, smoking as he tried to wrap his head around what he was going to do.

Shit like this didn’t happen everyday, but he needed answers that only this Adam could give him. 

"Gabi said that you smoked."

Adam came around the corner and Nigel smirked, “She used to help me roll cigarettes.”

Adam smiled, “Can we sit?”

They sat on a small bench near the tree in silence for a few minutes until Nigel chuckled. “I tried to quit, after,” he took a long drag, blowing it out, “But you know what they fucking say about old habits.”

Adam said noting as he snuffed out the cigarette in a bin beside them.  Nigel rubbed his hands down his jean clad legs, nervously. “We haven’t been introduced, my name is….”

“Adam,” Nigel finished, gesturing to his hoodie, “It was on your sweatshirt.”

Adam stared down, “Oh.”

“I take it that Gabi told you mine?”

Adam nodded, “Yes,” he took a deep breath, “I know this is unbelievable. I've never spoken to a living person for a spirit before but Gabi is hard to ignore.”

Nigel let out a genuine laugh, nodding, "That she is. She always got her way, always." 

"She's worried about you, and until she feels settled she won't be able to rest."

Adam bit his lip as he watched Nigel's hair flutter in the wind.

Nigel really was quite handsome.

Adam couldn't help but continue watching, looking at his profile as the sunlight kissed his skin with its light. He could feel something in his stomach flutter.

Nigel turned to look at him, catching his eyes as he stared. He noticed the blush on his cheeks.

"She deserves to rest,” Nigel sighed, fingers itching to feel the heat radiating through Adam’s porcelain skin and feeling like the worst kind of monster as he looked away.

“She…”

Nigel put his hand over Adam’s and felt Adam’s trembling skin. “ She's the reason I'm alive. I need to talk to her."

Adam swallowed, their fingers lacing together as he whispered, “Then let’s go talk to her.”

“I’ll need your help,” Nigel’s voice shook, “I can’t…I can’t move.”

Adam squeezed their hands together and looked into Nigel's eyes, nodding as he felt Nigel’s thumb run over his skin.

“We don’t have to leave,” Adam whispered, squeezing their hands, “We can stay here. It…doesn’t have to be tonight.”

Nigel closed his eyes and said nothing, the comforting touch of Adam’s hand in his enough to calm him though the idea of saying goodbye to Gabi again brought tears to his eyes.

“Thank you.”

They sat on the bench for a long while, staring at people as they passed by and Adam felt his stomach hurt thinking about Gabi sitting at home alone thinking she’d never get the closure she needed.

But he didn’t let go of Nigel’s hand.

“Tell me about you, Adam. Just…tell me everything.”

So Adam did, and Nigel did the same, the two of them talking for hours even as the sun started to go down. 

Adam felt more comfortable than he had in a long while, despite the trembling in Nigel through their hands. He knew it wouldn’t last and Nigel would leave after this was over.

But he’d do anything to help Nigel and Gabi, even if it meant never seeing Nigel again.

*

That’s how Adam found himself in Nigel’s apartment the next night feeling an impending sense of worry as he climbed the steps. He didn’t know how this would end and he was nervous the more he thought about it.

“Breathe, Adam,” Gabi said. Adam took a breath and knocked, hearing shuffling sounds inside before the door was unlatched and Nigel’s face came into view.

“Hi,” Adam smiled nervously as Nigel opened the door wide for him before closing it, following him inside.

“Would you like something to drink?” Nigel asked, fidgeting slightly which made Adam relax.

“Water please,” Adam sat on the sofa, pressing back against the leather. He could smell cigarettes and what could only be Nigel’s unique scent all around him.

Nigel returned with a beer for himself and a glass of water for Adam.

“I guess I’m not the only one unsure,” he smiled at Adam, handing him the glass.

Adam smiled back and took a long drink.

“No. I’m still not sure this isn’t just a weird dream I’m having.”

Nigel chuckled, “Do you dream often, Adam? I know you love the fucking stars and macaroni and cheese but last night there was no talk of dreams.”

He watched Nigel drink from his bottle, hypnotized by the image of head tipped back as his long hair grazed his shoulders.

Adam blushed and Gabi mumbled, “I am here too, you know? Will this flirting continue or shall we got on with things?”

Adam’s stomach hurt as he answered, “I…I think we should just start.”

Nigel nodded as Adam continued to stare, feeling like this was the worst kind of torture.

“Just a strange reality where your loved ones track you down from beyond the fucking grave. You know? I never expected…” Nigel sighed, putting the bottle on the table and running his hands over his face.

Adam bit the inside of his lip, not knowing how to proceed.

“I need to talk to him through you. Please Adam,” Gabi’s voice shook as she asked.

They’d spoken of the idea earlier, Gabi using his body to share a moment with Nigel. She wanted to try and make him understand and Adam wasn’t firm enough to get her point across.

Adam nodded.

 “Okay.”

He sat in a chair, closing his eyes as he felt his body tingle before everything went dark.

Nigel looked towards Adam. He still had doubts about this entire ghost thing but when he saw his eyes open, he could see Gabi staring back at him.

“Nigel,” a whisper before Adam’s body moved, standing and closing the space between them.

Adam’s hands landed hard on his shoulders, smacking before gripping.

“What the hell are you doing?” Nigel growled low as he circled his hands over his wrists.

“I need you to understand that this wasn’t your fault,” Gabi spoke and Nigel closed his eyes, sighing as he felt a cheek pressed against his own.

“It was my fault,” Nigel could feel tears building behind his eyelids as the hands on his shoulders softened, caressing the bruises left.

Gabi let out a sad laugh as she ran Adam’s fingers up to touch his nape, her favorite spot.

 “You’re not the same person anymore. We both made mistakes but I forgive you, Nigel. Like I always have.”

“I miss you,” Nigel moaned, closing his eyes, “Your awful fucking housecleaning, your coffee blend in the morning, your smile.” He nuzzled her neck, his nose running over that spot that always made her shiver.

“You don’t miss me that much,” Gabi chided as she ran her fingers thru his hair, “Your heart is opening to his. I saw the two of you, in the park.”

Nigel scoffed, feeling tears on his cheeks. “Still can’t hide a fucking thing from you, can I?”

She laughed, “No. He is just as doe eyed for you as well, do not worry.”

Nigel let himself feel Adam pressed so close to him, closer than he had ever been. It felt so good, better than he thought it would be.

“Don’t let me stand in the way. Let yourself be happy again or you’ll lose each other.”

 Gabi’s voice faded, Nigel opened his eyes and looked at Adam’s face.

“I won’t.”

Nigel cupped Adam’s face as he saw him returning, his eyes slipping open to look at Nigel’s.

“Oh. I...you’re finished then?” Adam asked, cheeks flushed and gorgeous the closer Nigel came, “I…”

 Adam shivered as Nigel lifted his chin up to stare, blinking back tears as he watched Nigel smile.

“Not yet,” Nigel whispered, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Adam’s parted lips.

Adam didn't know how to react as he felt Nigel’s lips pressed against his own. Did he think he was Gabi still or did he want to kiss him?

He felt fingers on his back, nudging him.

"He's not kissing me if that's what you're worried about," Gabi's voice full of amusement at Adam's panic.

He let himself relax, kissing Nigel back and being rewarded with a muffled groan before his hands moved into Nigel’s hair, gripping softly as his face tilted.

He forgot how to think, just feeling everything, the press of their bodies and the warmth of Nigel’s mouth on his.

Nigel was the first one to pull back, breathing hard through his nose as he pressed his forehead to Adam's, watching his face before Adam's eyes opened to lock with his.

"Well this went better than I expected," Nigel teased, smiling as watched as Adam's cheeks flushed redder, if that was possible.

"I liked it. Kissing you," Adam moved in closer, nuzzling Nigel’s nose as he stroked his nape, completely lost in Nigel until he saw a bright light at the corner of his eye.

"I think that's my ride," Gabi said as the light grew brighter, unveiling her figure.

Nigel pulled back from Adam when he heard her voice, turning to see her form revealed for them both.

"Gabi," He whispered, his eyes watering as he saw her for the first time in years.

"Hi Nigel," She smiled at him, walking over to him and reaching out to touch his face.

"I never thought I'd see you again."

He swallowed, as she caressed his cheek and wishing he could reach back to touch her one last time.

Gabi beamed.

 "I've been with you all this time, watching over you. Now it's someone else's turn," she looked to Adam who was crying as he looked to her.

"Thank you for being so persistent. You deserve to be in Heaven," Adam whispered hoarsely, his smile sad as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

Nigel took his hand, squeezing softly.

Nigel couldn't help but laugh, kissing Adam’s hand.

 "Gabi always gets her way,” he looked at Gabi, his vision blurring, “Beloved, thank you for forgiving me. I'm the man you always wanted me to be."

Gabi shook her head. "You were always that man. It just took a while for you to see it too.”

 She walked closer to the light.

"Take care of each other, the both of you,” she shook her finger and grinned, “Don't you make me come back to haunt you both."

Adam's eyes watered as he leaned his head over Nigel’s shoulder.

 "I promise that you won't have to," his fingers entwined with Nigel’s.

"Acum odihnă , iubita," (Now rest, Beloved) Nigel said, smiling as he pressed his cheek against Adam's mop of curls.

Gabi smiled as she walked into the light as they watched her form disappearing into a crowd of what Nigel thought were angels welcoming his Gabi to Heaven.

"She's gone."

 Adam turned, pressing himself against Nigel, crying from happiness and sadness.

He was going to miss Gabi but he was so thankful to her for bringing Nigel into his life.

Nigel held him, rubbing his back as he pressed a kiss to Adam's wet cheek.

"And we're here, “ he whispered, “We get to live for her. She brought us together for this."

 Nigel felt for the first time that his life had a true path again and someone to share it with.

Adam swayed with Nigel as they stood in the middle of the room, alone but happier than he'd remember being in a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated.


End file.
